Olympic 2012 : Team India ready to surprise Holland in Hockey
London: The Indian hockey team would look to relive the glory days when it opens its campaign against the formidable Netherlands in the 30th Games on Monday.
Looking for inspiration, there’s a piece of Indian history attached to London: it’s the place where an independent India registered it’s first success story in sports – an Olympic gold in hockey, fourth in a row since 1928. But will history repeat itself? Captain Bharat Chetri feels so.
“We want to produce a good display. We are eager to show that the London connection with Indian hockey is not just symbolic,” Chetri said on the eve of India’s first match.
Eight-time Olympic gold medallists India, currently ranked 10th in world hockey, are confronted with the aggressive world number three Dutch, whose robust European tactics can be quite a handful.
Winners of the 1996 and 2000 Olympic titles, the Dutch are the only team after India to have won successive gold medals.
India won Olympic titles in a row between 1928 and 1956, but are now striving to earn their first semifinal berth in 32 years since the gold medal in the boycott-hit 1980 Olympics.
World champions Australia start as the title favourites in men`s hockey with reigning Olympic champions Germany rated as the other formidable contender.
Australia won the last major encounter between these two teams, in the 2010 World Cup final in New Delhi.
